The Good Ol' Days
by GorimJr
Summary: Katara and the children arrive in Republic City. Kataang, Friendship!Taang, Tokka if you squint.


The docks weren't overly crowded, which was lovely. The last thing Aang wanted was Bumi to get over-excited and run off into the blue. That would hardly be a good beginning to this new chapter in their lives.

Republic City was still largely under construction, but the docks and immediate Bay Area were taken care of. The Fire Nation was assisting the city planning, so it was all very large and impressive and structured and organized.

And then there was the statue.

They had meant well, of course. And Aang was flattered and grateful, at least at first. But after the novelty had worn off, it was just... strange. He realized that when his children had children, they would look up into the bay and see that weird statue. It was _right next to their house_.

Toph and Zuko liked to tease him, but honestly, how would they like it if the first thing newcomers saw was their somber face, triumphantly posing with what honestly looked like a novelty lollipop?

A different pose, that's all. And a smile.

He was being silly and ungrateful.

But really, he was very glad Toph couldn't see it.

She was sitting with him on a bench by the sea, waiting for the ship that was carrying Aang's family. He was glad for the company, particularly_this_company. Sokka was on the city council now, and all he ever did these days was snarl and groan about one councilman or another. Not that Aang blamed him, but sometimes it was nice to get away. Toph was the chief of police, but she wasn't involved in the politics, and if she cared about one thing one way or the other, she said so once and let it go there. After days on end of hearing the same complaints over and over again, it was refreshing to be around someone so candid.

Right now, they weren't even talking. Just sitting. Sometimes, after a council meeting, Aang's ears would ring and his head would pound from all the yelling and arguing. It was heavenly to just sit with a friend, the only sounds being the soft crash of the sea and the dim chatter of people, indistinct from each other.

"Bet you're looking forward to seeing Katara again, huh?" Toph asked. Aang made a noise of agreement. "You send each other letters?"

"Yeah, as much as we can." Aang replied. "Takes awhile though, to get from the South Pole to Republic City." Toph nodded solemnly.

"Idiots shouldn't have made you stay. Not with all the stuff happening in the South." Aang shrugged uncomfortably.

After Kya was born, Katara wanted to take her to the South Pole. Raise her among her roots; teach her the Southern Style of Waterbending. Aang had been looking forward to it, maybe learning the Southern style from Katara alongside his daughter. But as soon as they'd made plans, Republic City had requested he stick around.

Just for a little while, they'd said. Until things are stable.

Then they'd requested that he help finalize negotiations between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation.

Then they'd requested that he be on the Council, to represent the Air Nomads. The idea had made Aang an inch away from knocking someone across the room, because honestly, who would he be representing?

Even when Katara had sent a letter with news about Master Pakku's failing health, he'd been unable to leave for long. Gran-Gran and Master Pakku had died quietly while he was thousands of miles away, leaving Katara to deal with funeral arrangements and all the problems alone. He'd only gotten there weeks afterwards, and had only been able to stay for a couple of weeks. The only upside had been that Bumi had been conceived in that brief period, named after another friend he'd been unable to go to in their last days.

Eventually, it became clear that Republic City would never let Aang go to the South Pole, or anywhere for long. They were young and new and unsure and the presence of the Avatar made them feel stable and confident. And Aang, as both Toph and Sokka repeatedly stated, was too kind. Consequently, Aang had only been able to visit his family sporadically. It had been months since he'd seen them. He missed Kya clumsily waterbending soup into bowls and Bumi running around managing to get dirty, even with the complete absence of dirt. And he missed Katara. He missed his wife.

So, after several years of hoping things would change, the family had come to a weary resignation that it never would and made plans for Katara and the two kids to move to Republic City. The thought made Aang's stomach churn a bit. The city was much different from the South Pole, a place Toph kindly described as the Boondocks. When it snowed in the City it was comparatively skimpy, and they'd certainly never need the heavy mukluks and parkas they'd grown up with. Kya wouldn't have as much water to bend, Bumi wouldn't have penguins to sled on. They'd be leaving all the people they grew up with, the graves of their great-grandparents.

Sometimes, he really hated Republic City.

He realized Toph was "eyeing" him. Her foot moved in a deceptively idle fashion, but he'd been around her long enough to know she was keeping tabs on his heart rate and body language. She was better at that than most people with sight, and he had no doubt she was following his thoughts as easily as anyone else.

"They'll love it," she assured him. "Those gates? Bumi'll have a blast." Aang snorted.

"Oh yes. He loves getting broken bones and bloody noses." _What is anyone ever going to do with that kid?_

"And you and Katara'll be much happier this way. And..." Her tone became sly. "A lot less …_tense_." Aang frowned and looked at her curiously.

"What are you-" He stopped at the look on her face and felt alternately embarrassed and stupid. "_Oh._" He tried to figure out a way to sit that didn't convey the intense uncomfortableness he was feeling.

"Don't be so embarrassed!" Toph laughed. "When my hubby's away, you can bet I've got... _tension_too!"

"Are we having this conversation?" Aang asked in mortified tones. "Or did I just hit my head somewhere?"

"You know, there are earthbending things you could use to make things a bit more interes-" Aang cut her off, covering his flaming ears with his hands.

"Not listening. Lalalalala!" Toph rolled her eyes.

"Honestly. Were all you Air Nomads so finicky? I can't imagine doing it was much fun if you were too embarrassed to talk about it."

"You know, in private _maybe_," Aang said, glancing at the citizens who were starting to stare. "Maybe we could have bawdy conversations. But right here? Right now?" He shook his head as his friend began cackling uncontrollably. "You're evil." But the laughter was contagious, and soon the two of them have to lean on each other to keep from falling over.

They sat quietly and calmed down. More people came to the dock; family members and friends waiting for new arrivals. Everyone was so excited to see their mothers or fathers or brothers or sisters or friends or husbands or wives or children that no one really paid attention to the Avatar and Chief Bei-Fong. A few friendly greetings, a few casual queries on whether Lady Katara and the kids will be living there, but all in all they're left alone.

Sokka arrived just as the ship began to materialize on the horizon.

"Good. I didn't miss anything," he said, putting his right hand on Toph's shoulder and his left on Aang's, leaning over and peering off into the distance. "You have no idea how hard it is to get away from those vultures. 'But Councilman! We still need to talk about a fence built two feet into public property!'" He made a retching sound as Toph chuckled.

"Hey, you never know." Aang teased. "The fence could be marking a tunnel being built to undermine the foundations of city hall."

"I'll sponsor the thing." Sokka said darkly as the horn of the approaching ship bellowed through the docks district.

"Now, Sokka," Toph said, patting him on the hand. "If we didn't know each other the way we do, I'd probably have to arrest you for that." Before Sokka could reply, the crowd erupted in cheers as passengers flocked to the deck of the ship and began waving and throwing confetti.

"They're nothing if not enthusiastic." Aang said fondly as the disembarking began. He and Toph stood and the three friends got closer to the ship and waited for Toph to feel someone familiar, or for the men to hear a familiar squeal.

The latter happened first, with an added bonus.

One moment Aang was standing and looking into the crowd for a familiar dark face, the next a tiny blue furball slammed into his stomach and nearly sent him into the ground. Only Toph's quick earthbending kept him upright.

"DADDY!" A little voice cried. Aang grinned down at the little boy that clung to his torso, startlingly strong, bony arms wrapping around him so tightly he'd probably have bruises.

Bumi grinned up at him. The five year old had lost a tooth in the months since they'd last seen each other, and his hair was just as wild as he remembered. Grey eyes beamed up as another joyous shriek sliced through all the noise of the docks.

"Dad!" Another parka'd body slammed into him and this time, Kya hugged him tight. As Bumi went to hug Uncle Sokka and Auntie Toph, Kya started talking rapidly. "You'll never guess what's new with Mom!" She said, practically pink with barely controlled glee. "Guess! _Guess!_"

"Ummm..." Aang pretended to think. "She's moving here?" Kya looked very disappointed.

"I'm serious, Dad." She said, pouting. Aang started to reply, only to stop dead as his wife appeared, a few people helping her with their luggage.

"Whoa!" Sokka cried. "You swallowed a _planet!_" Aang hurried over, staring at Katara. It had been half a year or so since they'd seen each other, and he honestly couldn't believe the change. Of course, he'd seen her pregnant before, but...

"When did this happen?" He asked, reaching out and touching the belly as if to assure himself that it was real. Katara put up with it with amused affection.

"The last time you were in the South Pole." She said.

"The last time?" Aang replied absently. Katara raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Aang. Last time." Her tone changed considerably, and Aang's ears turned red again. He cleared his throat.

"Oh. Last time." He said quietly, grinning. Sokka made a sound of disgust.

"Oogie, guys," he said, making a face. "Just… just oogie."

"Oogie!" Bumi cried, yanking repeatedly on Sokka's arm. Toph grinned.

"What's he doing?" She asked, pointing at the boy as he continued to pull at his uncle's arm.

"Trying to pull Sokka's arm out of its socket." The water tribe woman said matter-of-factly. "Don't worry. He's getting good at popping them back in."

"What're these, Daddy?" Bumi asked, pointing at the tiny forest of wooden revolving doors.

The Avatar had been showing his family around Air Temple Island, the "purely temporary" home that was anything but. The place was huge, and his immediate fears of his wife and children not liking it were averted nicely. Kya loved the koi fish "pond" (it was really more akin to a lake), Katara loved the spacious rooms, and Bumi loved the abundance of dirt and proximity to his favorite uncle.

Until he'd seen the gates.

The gates usurped all.

"Those are the Air Gates," Aang replied. Bumi had immediately deflated.

"Oh…" He said. "I guess you gotta be an Airbender to use them, huh?" Aang smiled encouragingly.

"No, not at all. You need an Airbender to start them, but you don't need to be an Airbender to use them."

Bumi watched eagerly as Aang sent a gust of wind through the gates, sending them spinning.

"The key here is to not just run in. It's not about forcing your way through." Aang said, watching his son. "It's about going with the flow. Moving with the movement of what's around you. Resisting passively." Bumi nodded, eyeing the gates. Aang could practically see the little wheels in his head turn as he approached the spinning things slowly. "Be careful, okay?" Aang warned. "They're pretty heavy. And don't get too disappointed if it doesn't work out at first. No one gets it on their first try." Bumi nodded, his eyes still watching the gates spin.

He watched his son take a deep breath and run into the gates.

Less than fifteen seconds later, the gates spat him out bruised, bloody, and laughing so hard Aang thought he'd puke.

_What a weird kid,_ his father thought fondly as he hurried over. _He's going to be a great big brother._


End file.
